UKELODEON: For The Next Generation (08/14/05)

UKELODEON

For The Next Generation

Ukraine: constitutional revolution or revolutionary constitution?

by Pavlo Levkiv

The Orange Revolution in Ukraine recently turned the eyes of the world to this unfortunate nation and brought to it a hope of success. But was it really a revolution?

A revolution occurs when the people of a nation overthrow their government, change the form of government, change the social system. This did not happen in Ukraine. It was and still is a republic, the Constitution has not changed and the government is still in place. The president, however, has changed.

So does the Orange Revolution amount to a revolution? If so, of what kind?

Before the Orange Revolution, the Ukrainian government was totally corrupted. There were several rich families who controlled everything in Ukraine. Ukraine was an oligarchy, which is quite common for states in transition. The people had little, if any control on what went on in politics and government. There was no sense of nationality, or unified culture. For many people, Ukrainian was a language of a second sort. The people understood well that they lived in such a corrupt nation, but they did not protest against their government. Their passive tolerance ended during the recent events triggered by the presidential election.

The election game started with many candidates, the opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko and the candidate backed by the corrupt government, Victor Yanukovych, being the major players. The run-off of the elections between Messrs. Yushchenko and Yanukovych was declared by the Central Election Commission to be won by Mr. Yanukovych. There was obvious fraud, such as greater than 100 percent voter turnout, and busloads of Yanukovych supporters riding from town to town and voting in each.

So, when Mr. Yanukovych was announced the winner, many Ukrainians understood that if they wanted a truly democratic nation free of corruption, they had to take matters into their own hands. The next day, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians went onto the central streets of their capital, claiming Mr. Yushchenko was their president.

These protests united Ukrainians, much more than they separated them, despite some simplistic explanations so abundant in Western media. The Yanukovych supporters threatened to break away from the nation, but it was clear the chances were low for this to happen, because there was no genuine support for the move from the majority of the population. More importantly, these elections gave the people a chance to fight together for a common cause. Millions of Ukrainians united under the orange colors of the opposition candidate. This brought a sense of nationalism, a common culture to Ukraine that was never there before. As my aunt, who was always very skeptical of Ukrainian patriotism, said "I never thought I would say this, but I am proud of the people of my country." This sense of nationality and common culture helped the Orange Revolution be successful.

This was an event of true international significance because the people of Ukraine showed an example of how to exercise direct democracy in the era of representative democracy. Ukraine, like most Western countries, is a republic - meaning that the people elect representatives that make all the decisions, but Ukrainians saw that their representatives stood for the interests of the criminal clans rather than for the public good. Ukraine was not a democracy, but a republic of oligarchs. The only recourse for the people was to resurrect direct democracy - meaning that they, not their representatives, would make the decisions.

The most remarkable aspect of these events is that Ukrainians' right to a direct democracy is protected by their Constitution. In Article 5, it says: "The people exercise power directly and through bodies of state power and bodies of local self-government." Thus, the revolution in Ukraine was not unconstitutional, it was backed by the Constitution, which means that the Constitution itself is revolutionary.

So, the answer to the question stated in the title of this essay would be "Ukraine: constitutional revolution and revolutionary constitution."

This fact is the most important aspect of the Orange Revolution. It shows that a country that allows direct democracy and the right of the people to directly make their own decisions is successful, and can eventually overcome any obstacle. This right protects the people from corruption and problems in their government.

And it is no wonder that Ukraine has such a constitution. Ukrainian history accounts for more than 15 centuries, yet most of them were spent under the rule of other countries. These years instilled into the Ukrainian people a constant search for freedom. And when these people finally received a chance to create their own nation, they were very cautious to ensure that their freedom would not easily be taken away.

The Orange Revolution is the most recent proof that the last line of the Ukrainian national anthem will always hold true: "We will sacrifice our body and soul for our freedom."

Pavlo Levkiv of Rockaway, N.J., is a 10th grade student.

Girl's poem honors father and consoles others

One day I went to a wake
And I thought of my dad there,
I took all the deep breaths I could take
Trying to prove I didn't care,
I prayed to God to help me,
And I didn't cry a tear.
Then at the end of the day
I cried like I was hit by a spear.

This goes out to everyone
Who lost someone dear,
Not just for fun,
But for them to hear.
You may have went to a funeral
and pretended you weren't crying.
But, inside of us, the heart tells all
that you remember someone dying.

When I went to the graves today
I really didn't cry,
But in my head a voice did say
"Dad, why did you have to die?"
I tried to get it out of my head,
and pretend there were no tears.
I just remembered that my dad was dead
For almost 10 years.

So pass this on to everyone
You know who has someone "up there."
Not just for fun,
but to show you really care.
Send this back to the friend
Who sent it to you.
Then, if this chain ever ends,
I know at least some people knew what to do.

This chain isn't like any other,
You won't get bad luck if you don't send it.
You won't die at 12 a.m.
But this is just to prove
You know that someone does care.

Twelve-year-old Grace Lynn Kobryn, daughter of the late Andrew Bohdan Kobryn, lives on Staten Island, N.Y.

Plast groups hold joint "Sviato Vesny" celebration

HARTSDALE, N.Y. - The New York City branch of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization and the Plast group in Yonkers, N.Y., held a joint "Sviato Vesny" celebration for Plast novatstvo here on June 5. Over 40 "novaky" and "novachky" (cub scouts age 6-11) and counselors participated in the program, which included competitive games and sports, Sunday liturgy and a traditional campfire with stories and singing. This year's theme was "Journey Through Ukraine."

Mishanyna

To solve this month's Mishanyna, find the capitalized words below hidden within the Mishanyna grid.

Every year during the second to last week in AUGUST, Ukrainians from the U.S. and Canada flock to WILDWOOD Crest, N.J. for "UKIE WEEK."

While on VACATION at this beach town people BASK in the sun, play in the sand and FROLLICK in the REFRESHING ocean. When in Wildwood many vacationers STROLL along the BOARDWALK while enjoying FUNNEL cake, fresh squeezed LEMONADE, salt water TAFFY and FUDGE. And anybody who has ever been on the boardwalk cannot forget about the TRAM car - "Watch the tram car please, watch the tram car please..."

Alexander BOARDMAN, a railroad conductor, created the idea of a boardwalk because he was annoyed with the sand that accumulated on his trains. The first boardwalk was dedicated in Atlantic City in 1870. The boardwalk in Wildwood was then built in 1900, but it was a different one from the boardwalk we know today. Workers actually picked up the boards after every summer season and put them away for the winter.

One of the most important days during "Ukie Week" is August 24, Ukrainian INDEPENDENCE day. Ukrainians commemorate this important day with a PARADE down the beach. Vacationers also participate in volleyball and bocce ball tournaments while in Wildwood.

Here's to another memorable "Ukie Week" in Wildwood Crest, N.J.!

OUR NAME: UKELODEON: it rhymes with nickelodeon. Yes, that's a kids' network (spelled with a capital "N"), but the original word referred to an early movie theater that charged a nickel for admission. According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the root of the word, "odeon," is from the Greek "oideion," a small building used for public performances of music and poetry. Our UKELODEON is envisioned as a public space where our youth, from kindergartners to teens, can come to learn, to share information, to relate their experiences, and to keep in touch with each other. Its contents will be shaped by the young readers of the next generation.

DID YOU KNOW? This August 24 Ukraine celebrates its 14th Independence Day. The leaders in the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic - what Ukraine was know as when it was part of the Soviet Union - proclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. On December 1, 1991 the public voted in a nationwide referendum to affirm the declaration of independence.

Ukrainian communities all over the United States and Canada celebrate Ukraine's independence in different ways. There will be festivals in Chicago and Philadelphia with Ukrainian food and dancing, and other entertainment. On August 24 the Empire State Building in New York City will be lit up in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

What is your Ukrainian community doing to celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day? Write about what you did on August 24 and you could see your name in print in the next issue of Ukelodeon.

OUR NEXT ISSUE: UKELODEON is published on the second Sunday of every month. To make it into our next issue, dated September 11, please send in your materials by September 2.

Please drop us a line:

UKELODEON, The Ukrainian Weekly,
2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280, Parsippany, NJ 07054
fax, (973) 644-9510 phone, (973) 292-9800,
e-mail, [email protected].

(We ask all contributors to please include a daytime phone number.)

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